I'm new to the group, but not a new parrot owner. I have my own little ark full of pets 2 dogs, 2 cats and (again) 2 parrots. I have been a Sun Conure owner for over 15 years now, and had up to 4 at one time. I've sadly lost 3 of those 4 over the years and I have 1 left, a male named Tiki. He is bonded to my boyfriend now, even though he was originally my parrot from the age of 6 months. I can't hold him any more. He prefers to bite me now, as I'm competition I was missing the companionship of a parrot and someone locally knew I am a bird person and she had a Senegal available for rescue.

Well I am currently trying out the little guy (I think it's a boy at least). His name is Niko. He is a very sweet little guy. I've found he's quieter than my sun conure, but much more of a talker and noise mimic. He makes a clicker noise, so I think someone has spent time clicker training. Unsure on any tricks he may or may not know He liked me immediately, which surprised me. I thought there would be a warm up period before he accepted me. He already tries to feed me, and allows me to scritch around his head. I've been told he will allow you to turn him over onto his back and he will lay there. I haven't tried it yet as I have only had him for 2 days now. While I am experienced with birds I don't want to push his boundaries too fast He has already stolen my heart and I'm pretty sure I'll be adopting him after his trial period.

Welcome to the forum! I'm pretty new here too and like you I've also got a senegal although he is pretty crazy, sometimes i feel more like im his support worker than his owner but we get by. Anyway welcome.

I am not really sure what a trial period would serve, if it is less than say three months, however that is not the reason that I am posting. My actual reason is to remind you that the new bird should be kept in quarantine for at least 30 days as this is the primary way that we have of preventing the spread of disease. This is also why I don't know what answers you are looking for with a trial period if it is less than 90 days. The birds will act differently while quarantined and then again when quarantine is over. If the purpose of the trial period is to see how the two birds get along then I would probably suggest the trial period be at least 6 months.

Welcome to the forum! Yes, Wolf is correct, all birds should be quarantined for, at least, 30 days but, what he is really referring to when he talks about the trial period needing to be 90 days is the honeymoon period. Rehomed parrots never behave, during this period, how they will end up behaving later on so what you see now is not the way he actually is. I also think that giving it a specific period (90 days) is a bit arbitrary... I've had birds that have taken much longer than that as well as birds that have taken less. But the one thing that jumped out at me and really concerned me about your posting is the fact that after being with you for only two days, he is trying to feed you. There is only one explanation for that and it's not that he likes you, it's that he is overly hormonal. I am really, really sorry to rain on your parade but there is no two ways about that and this is something that you need to take into consideration because, obviously, this bird has been kept at a human schedule and, possibly, also free-fed protein -two no-nos in the healthy parrot world. I suggest you re-evaluate his light schedule and diet so his endocrine system can go back on track.

Thank you for the welcomes The trial time frame was not set by me, but by the rescue. They don't normally rescue birds, I might add, so they aren't equipped or as experienced in rescuing them. They mostly deal with cats/dogs. It's to see how I get along with him, not my other parrot. As my Sun conure is bonded to my boyfriend and is not looking for a parrot friend at all, LOL. I agree that his personality is going to change much over time, from what it is now. I expect that, as he's in a new place and has passed through a few homes the last 6 months with different foster people. I wouldn't be surprised if he only likes me due to hormones, I was surprised at how friendly he was towards me for the short time frame he has been here. I still enjoy his company, even if it changes in 30-60-90 days His noises and antics make me laugh.I have no idea if he has been free fed, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was. But I am already working on changing his diet from a seed/pellet mixture to a good quality pellet food. So far he is eating the new pellets and I will gradually switch him over to just the pellets (of course supplemented with fruits/veggies). I plan to keep seeds for training only.

I am not saying that he doesn't like you. What I am saying is birds only try to feed humans (regurgitation - which is breeding behavior) when they are overly hormonal (and sexually frustrated) and that can only be taken care of with a strict solar schedule as well as a fresh food diet where you do not free-feed any protein food (pellets included). I don't feed pellets, actually. I've been doing research on their dietary ecology and have long ago reached the conclusion that pellets are not and never will be the best dietary option for them (I know that avian vets usually recommend them but avian vets don't study parrot nutrition).

Pajarita wrote:I am not saying that he doesn't like you. What I am saying is birds only try to feed humans (regurgitation - which is breeding behavior) when they are overly hormonal (and sexually frustrated) and that can only be taken care of with a strict solar schedule as well as a fresh food diet where you do not free-feed any protein food (pellets included). I don't feed pellets, actually. I've been doing research on their dietary ecology and have long ago reached the conclusion that pellets are not and never will be the best dietary option for them (I know that avian vets usually recommend them but avian vets don't study parrot nutrition).

I don't disagree that the regurgitation is a breeding behavior, and I agree that he's likely hormonal right now. I give him daylight every day (direct from the window), but sadly I'm in Alaska and we don't get as much sunshine as I would like this time of year. Thankfully I'm not in northern Alaska where there's no sunshine at all. We get about 4 hours of direct sunlight through the window, and my parrots greatly enjoy the sunbathing. I also have daylight bulbs in my lamps/overhead lighting to help supplement the missing daylight. I have started switching him to a pellet diet because I want to make sure he is getting the vitamin's and minerals he needs (supplemented with the fresh fruits/veggies we have available here in Alaska, which is not as much variety as the rest of the USA). I try to do my best with what we have available here on the island.

Ahhh, yes, the Northern countries are real hard on birds... one can give them good light but one cannot reproduce the twilight that turns on and off their internal clock so make sure you set up an annual schedule that 'marks' the seasons or he will be forever hormonal and will end up biting (he will be in pain and animals in pain turn aggressive). You should try feeding him gloop. It's made with frozen veggies (because they are more nutritious than fresh), all birds love it (real easy to switch them to it) and is super easy to make.